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Passengers arriving at airports in the UK on Saturday faced long queues due to a glitch in electronic passport control.
Problems with e-gates at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports and Manchester airport began on Friday evening, the BBC reported.
With the long Whitsun weekend, it’s very busy at British airports. Passports now have to be checked manually, which takes a lot of time. The waiting time can be several hours. Typically, 60 to 80 percent of passengers go through e-gates, depending on the airport, the BBC reported.
Electronic passports are restricted to Britons over the age of twelve, citizens of the European Union and countries such as Australia, Canada, the US, Japan and New Zealand. Passengers can scan their passports. Electronic facial recognition is used to verify their identity. A photo is also taken as they pass through the gate.
Heathrow hires extra staff
The Home Office, which is responsible for border control, said: “We are aware that there is a nationwide problem with the border system affecting people coming into the UK. “We are working to resolve the problem as soon as possible and minimize inconvenience to travellers.
Heathrow, the UK’s biggest airport, says extra staff have been deployed to manage long queues.
Airline British Airways suffered an IT failure on Thursday and Friday, causing several flights to be canceled and thousands of passengers to Heathrow affected. According to British Airlines, these issues have now been resolved and flights have been rescheduled.
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